


Under Contract When I'd Rather Be Under You

by madelyn14_works



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Girls Kissing, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-06 06:52:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13405773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madelyn14_works/pseuds/madelyn14_works
Summary: Beca Mitchell is a successful A&R at Capitol Records looking for her next sign to the label. Chloe Beale is a singer-songwriter trying to make it in LA. Beca signs Chloe, but they're not allowed to date because of the contract and policies at the label.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so let's see how this goes. Someone on twitter suggested this prompt and I ran with it. There's going to be some misconceptions in how the music industry works in here because I had to make some changes to make it work with the original fanfic idea. Here goes nothing...

Chloe Beale is a bubbly, fiery redhead who has a love for every person. She maybe doesn’t value personal space enough, but people like her all the same. She’s had many boyfriends and girlfriends over the years. Not because she’s “loose,” she just loves easily. She loves being in love and how it feels to be consumed by someone. Her first and biggest love, however, is not a person. Chloe has always loved music more than anything in the world. Even when she was a little girl, she would make up songs and perform them for her dad.

Growing up, she really never had a mother. Her mom left her and her father when she was three to pursue her dream of becoming a successful singer. Music has always been kind of a sore subject in the Beale household ever since. Her dad never got angry with her for loving music, but he certainly did not support her decision to move out to LA at seventeen. Looking back now at twenty, it probably wasn’t the best move to skip college, but she’s always known what she’s wanted.

She lives in a tiny studio apartment with two other girls and works as a waitress at the local diner to make rent each month. She gets into as many meetings as she can with record labels, but nothing has happened yet. It’s been three years and she feels like all she’s accomplished since coming to LA has been learning how to balance plates of food on her arms. Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears a door slam-

“Oh, hi Aubrey. How was work today?”

“It was fine. I’m never gonna get over how stupid people are, but what’s new?”

Chloe scoffed and shook her head at the blonde girl. The best way to describe Aubrey is as a little blonde Barbie with daddy issues. She works as an accountant at some company Chloe can never remember the name of. She acts bratty, but she’s actually really nice when you get past her hard exterior. She’s living in this tiny apartment because she doesn’t want anything handed to her, especially from her rich father.

“Don’t you have another meeting soon, Chlo?” Aubrey asks.

“Yeah, but I don’t see the point of going. It’s kinda a long shot, don’t you think?”

“Just because Capitol is a big label, doesn’t mean they won’t want you. They reached out to you. You’re so talented, Chloe. I have a good feeling about this one,” Aubrey smiled at her encouragingly.

Chloe seemed doubtful, but knew she had to go. Even if getting denied again was a sure thing, she couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this. She constantly sends demos to different labels and this was the first time someone had contacted her so quickly after receiving one. Their A&R, Beca something, had called her and told her she wanted to meet with her.

“Thanks, Bree. I’ll call you after.”

With that, Chloe grabbed her bag and started walking. Aubrey lets her borrow her car, but Chloe usually prefers walking if it’s close enough. It relaxes her. Some of her best ideas for songs have come from long walks.

After a couple minutes, the Capitol Records building comes into sight and Chloe’s stomach hurts. She really doesn’t want to get let down again.

“I don’t know how much longer I can handle failing,” she mutters to herself.

When she walks in, she’s greeted by the receptionist asking for her name and ID. Five minutes later, she’s sitting in a chair in the waiting room with a nametag and a feeling she might throw up.

“Chloe Beale?” Some woman in an overly expensive pantsuit calls her name and writes something down on her clipboard.

Chloe stands up and goes to shake her hand and introduce herself. The woman looks her up and down and ignores her outstretched hand, “Ms. Mitchell will see you now. I’ll take you back.” Chloe nods awkwardly and puts down her hand, embarrassed.

_Fuck. This girl already hates me._

They go through winding hallways and end at the door of a small office. The woman knocks twice and then leaves. Chloe shifts her feet feeling awkward standing there alone. Before Chloe can panic too long, the door swings open and reveals who Chloe presumes to be Ms. Mitchell.

And she’s hot.

Like, really hot.

“Hi, you must be Chloe Beale. I’m Beca Mitchell, please just call me Beca, though,” She smiles at the redhead and stretches out her hand.

“Oh, good, the handshake thing doesn’t apply to everyone here,” Chloe blurts out as she shakes Beca’s hand.

“What?” Beca laughs and gestures for Chloe to come inside and take a seat.

“Never mind, sorry,” Chloe didn’t mean for that to come out aloud.

She sits down in the chair opposite Beca’s desk. Beca grabs her chair and brings it from her behind her desk so it’s closer to Chloe’s chair. She sits down Indian style in her chair and Chloe thinks it’s endearing how at ease and innocent she looks right now.

“Tell me a little bit about yourself and your story,” Beca looks at Chloe intently and gives a soft smile.

Beca feels comforting to Chloe. She’s wearing all black with a red leather jacket and some heavy eye liner, but she seems soft. Beca reminds her of Aubrey a little bit. She seems like she has a harder exterior, but she can see how kind and genuine she really is. Chloe thinks Beca might be an artist herself, too. She looks creative and there’s several guitars hanging around her office. Chloe almost forgets that Beca asked her a question.

“Um, well, I’m twenty. I moved out here to LA when I was seventeen, which didn’t exactly please my dad. I’ve been writing songs and singing since I can remember. That’s what my mom does, too so I guess I get that from her.”

“Oh, who’s your mom? Anyone I may know?” Beca asks intrigued.

Chloe shifts uncomfortably before answering, “I actually don’t know who my mom is.”

Beca looks at her curiously, but doesn’t say anything. She just waits for Chloe to continue.

“I guess that makes no sense, I’m sorry. She left when I was three. My dad doesn’t talk about it much. He never mentions her name and I was too young, I don’t remember what she looked like.”

Beca looks like she just watched a puppy get kicked, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that, I didn’t know.”

Chloe shook her head, “No, it’s ok. That’s pretty much it though. I work as a waitress right now to sustain myself while performing at different bars and diners when I can and trying to make it out here.”

Beca smiles at her. “I remember those days. I was actually signed to Capitol as an artist before transitioning to A&R. I decided I liked helping artists more than being one. Less of a spotlight.”

Chloe smiles back.

_Beca’s really pretty when she smiles._

She takes another glance around the office at the guitars and records on the wall. “Wait, are these your records?”

Beca’s face lights up, “They are actually. I released a few albums before switching over. I’m actually pretty new at this so this isn’t just about me deciding if you’re right for me and the label. You have to decide if I’m the right A&R for you. You would be only my second sign.”

Chloe stops herself before she says, “Well, no one else wants me” and instead goes for, “I like the energy here. I think I would be a good fit if I was lucky enough to be signed.”

Beca looks pleased and grabs a packet of papers from her desk.

“I listened to your demos. You’ve got one hell of a voice, but your songwriting is what makes you so special. I can tell I already like you. I think we could do something amazing here.”

Chloe blushes and smiles at the ground. She always feels vulnerable when someone compliments her writing, but Beca complementing it and saying she likes her makes her feel all warm inside.

_Yes, get a crush on the person interviewing you and possible colleague, that’s a good move, Chloe. Nice going._

She shakes her head, trying not to think like that as Beca continues.

“I already got the go ahead from the label, so if you’ll have me, I’d like to sign you and work with you,” Beca finishes, fiddling with the pages of the document in her hands.

Chloe can hardly believe her ears, “Oh my GOD, seriously?!”

_That didn't sound very professional._

She tries to compose herself the best she can, “I mean, thank you so much for this opportunity! This means everything. When can we start?”

Beca laughs and hold up the papers, “Once we go through this and get you to HR, you’re good to go.”

Beca scoots her chair even closer and starts reading through the contract and what it entails.

_She smells really good. Okay, no, don’t go there._

“So that’s pretty much it. Just some basic rules and this is for three albums released with Capitol. Obviously, you can’t record anywhere else unless the label allows you to.”

Chloe realized she hadn’t been listening. She was studying Beca. Her A&R. Who she is going to be working with. Honestly, it’s really not her fault… Beca has really intense blue eyes and a killer body.

_She’s probably like thirty, that’s gross._

"She looks young though,” Chloe mumbles.

“What?” Beca asks. “Um, did you have a question?”

“How old are you?” Chloe asks before she can stop herself.

“Um, I’m twenty-five. I realize that may seem too young for a professional A&R, but I got signed at eighteen so I do know what I’m doing, I promise,” She laughs.

“Oh, it’s not that, I just thought you looked young, but you seem capable.”

_Yeah, capable of ripping my clothes off._

Chloe’s mind won’t stop going _there_ and she’s really got to stop before she word vomits herself into trouble.

“Uh, that's good," Beca fumbled.

"Um, ok well I think you’re set. Just remember the label’s policies on copyright and interoffice dating and all that fun stuff. You don’t have to read the contract word for word if you don’t want to. HR will go over these things also so let’s get you over there,” Beca recovered quickly, running her fingers through her hair nervously.

Beca got up and led the way to HR, Chloe following closely behind. Chloe mentally scolded herself for checking Beca out from behind. It’s against the rules to date coworkers and that would be weird anyways.

_Maybe skinny jeans should be against the rules_ , she sighed, her eyes still on Beca’s ass.

As Chloe walked out of the Capitol Records building, she hit Aubrey’s contact right away to tell her the good news.

“Hey Chloe! how’d it go?” Aubrey answered the phone right away, obviously eager to hear about her best friend’s meeting.

“AUBREY OH MY GOD I’M SIGNED THEY SIGNED ME AND BECA IS SO NICE SHE’S MY A&R AND SHE’S GREAT I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING FOR ME OH MY GOD”

“CHLOE! I’m so happy for you! I knew you could do it! Also, I’m impressed. You didn’t take a single breath that entire sentence,” Aubrey was laughing on the other end of the call.

“I’m just so excited! This is finally happening for me. I feel like this is where I’m meant to be at, you know?”

She could hardly contain her excitement. Once she was told she was getting signed, all she wanted to do was call Aubrey.

“I’m so proud of you, Chlo. I knew this would happen for you. I can’t wait to see how Amy reacts.”

“Oh, God. Wait, where is Amy? I thought she’d be home already.”

“She’s out to dinner with some guy she described as a ‘Ryan Gosling, but fatter and hairier,’ whatever that means.”

Chloe laughed and told Aubrey she would see her back at the apartment.

Just as she was about to cross the street she heard someone call her name,

“Chloe! Hey, wait up a second!”

_Beca_.

“Hey, sorry to yell after you I just forgot to give you something.”

Beca looked nervous for some reason as she stuffed her hand in her pocket to pull out a guitar pick. “I did this with Hailee, too. Kind of a tradition. Well I guess not really considering you’re only my second artist and I don’t think that qualifies as a tradition, per se, but it’s just something I like doing and, um, it was done for me when I got signed. I want to pass it on, I guess. I’m rambling, sorry… but yeah here.”

She placed it in Chloe’s open hand and gave a soft smile. Chloe turned the pick over in her hands and saw her initials engraved on one side and the Capitol Records symbol on the other.

“How… why did you get this engraved, what if you didn’t like me? What if you decided not to sign me?”

“I knew I would sign you once I heard the first song on your demo. Same with Hailee.”

Chloe felt that warmth again. “…Wait, you signed Hailee Steinfeld?”

“Oh, yeah, I signed her about a year ago. She’s awesome, I’m sure you’ll meet her in the next couple of days.”

“Thank you. For this… and just everything,” Chloe was touched by the gesture. She could already tell this was the best possible label she could’ve been signed to. And she knew she could trust Beca with her music. Something about her just felt safe and dependable to Chloe.

“Um yeah, you’re welcome,” Beca shifted her feet awkwardly. “I’ll see you on Monday, unless something gets caught up in HR. You’ll get an email from me.”

“Oh ok, it was nice to meet you, Beca,” Chloe smiled and gave a little wave before walking across the street. She clutched the guitar pick in her hand and thought about how Beca seemed a little nervous around her this time and she kind of liked that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two! I am going to try and post about once every week or two, but with school and work it might be less than that.

Amy had been so proud of Chloe when she told her. “Fat Amy,” as she affectionately calls herself, is a quirky, but kind girl that Chloe met a year after she came to LA. They instantly became friends and moved into an apartment together to save money. Amy had been living with a boyfriend at the time and was out of a job. She doesn’t have very many useful skills in the professional world, as it turns out. When her and her boyfriend broke up, Chloe insisted she stay with her and they could figure things out later.

She’s never worried too much about money or what would happen if she lost her job; she knows everything will work itself out. Amy and Aubrey are a little more cynical, but they help keep Chloe’s feet on the ground. She helps them stay positive and look for the magic in the world. They balance each other out pretty perfectly.

Amy had gotten home over an hour ago and all three girls were talking nonstop about Chloe’s amazing news and what it meant to be an official artist. However, Amy seemed more interested in Beca than anything else.

“So, what happens if you’re caught sleeping with musical Kristen Stewart?”

“Her name is Beca and I’m not going to sleep with her, Amy. We’ll be working together,” Chloe rolled her eyes.

“That’s never stopped me. One time, when I was fifteen-“

“PLEASE, don’t finish that sentence,” Aubrey yelled from the kitchen, pointing a rubber spatula at the girl.

Amy scoffed and waved Aubrey off with a hand and continued grilling Chloe, “I bet she likes you back, ginger. Nothing’s hotter than a girl who can sing and dance, trust me, I have to fight off the boys all the time because of this.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen, Amy. You can dial it back a notch. Plus, she’s like five years older than me,” Chloe finished lamely.

Amy looked even more unconvinced, “That’s not even a reason, I’ve been with guys way older than that. My wrestling teacher in high school was almost forty. I remember when we-“

“AMY! I’m trying to bake and I really don’t want to throw up in the food,” Aubrey yelled again.

Amy lowered her voice so that only Chloe could hear her. “I’m just sayin’, age difference is hot. It’ll only spice things up a bit, if you ask me. Don’t even try to tell me you’re not kinky, I can see it in your eyes.”

Chloe almost choked and stood up immediately, walking into the kitchen. “Aubrey can I help you?” She looked at Aubrey, trying to communicate that she wanted to escape Amy.

“You can grab some plates, I guess,” Aubrey shrugged, getting the message.

The girls had movie night at least once a week and Aubrey always made the snacks. It was a nice tradition they started almost right when they all started living together. Chloe insisted they do it as a way of bonding. She grabbed some plates and yelled for Amy to dish up so they could start the movie.

 

Five minutes into “The Notebook,” Amy was already interrupting. “So how come we’ve never heard of this Beca girl if she was an artist for years?”

Chloe shrugged, “I don’t think she was very big. She wasn’t an artist for very long before transitioning into A&R. She only has like two albums, I think.”

“Let’s do some research, shall we?” Amy had that evil glint in her eye that Chloe knew all too well.

Every time Aubrey or Chloe were even interested in someone, Amy would come back with some outrageous story that was so detailed they had to believe it was true. They don’t even know where she gets her information from or how she finds it. Her and Aubrey have a running joke that Amy secretly works for the FBI just so she can keep tabs on their love interests.

“Amy leave the poor girl alone, you can start your six-page essay on why Beca’s crazy another day,” Aubrey looked amused, but tried to hide it.

“She’s not crazy,” Chloe mumbled to herself.

Amy looked like she wanted to say something, but held it in, deciding to give Chloe a break. She looked over at Aubrey and smirked, knowing the redhead had a crush.

 

Monday morning rolled around and Chloe could not have been more excited to go into work. She woke up early to shower and do her hair, convincing herself that she was only trying to look nice for her first day of work, not just for Beca.

“Good morning guys,” Chloe smiled as she strolled into the kitchen, all ready to go.

Amy and Aubrey were already at the kitchen table, eating cereal and talking about their plans for the day. They looked up at Chloe’s voice, shocked at her appearance.

She had on tight, black skinny jeans and ankle boots with a low-cut v neck and blazer with the sleeves rolled up. Her hair was curled, but pretty messily so it looked like she just got done doing something she shouldn’t have. Her makeup was heavier than normal to accentuate her extremely blue ocean eyes.

“Damn, ginger! If Beca isn’t gay now, she’s gonna be after today,” Amy gawked, looking Chloe up and down.

“I’m just trying to look nice for everyone at the label. It’s my first day,” Chloe reasoned.

“You didn’t even dress that hot when I set you up on that blind date a month ago,” Aubrey replied, smirking at her best friend.

“Should I take that as an insult?” Chloe held her hand over her chest and looked at Aubrey with a wounded expression.

“You should take it as that you’re in dangerous territory trying to hook up with a coworker,” Aubrey’s tone was still light, but Chloe knew she was being serious.

“Okay, woah woah woah, hold up blondie. First of all, Chloe needs to get laid. It’s been a while and she’s young and hot. Secondly, don’t act like you haven’t hooked up with a coworker before. We all know you like to get down and dirty with Jesse,” Amy said pointedly.

Aubrey turned red, but didn’t say anything. She went back to eating her cereal.

“You really shouldn’t piss her off this early in the morning. That’s when she’s the most volatile,” Chloe whispered it to Amy, but was still clearly loud enough for Aubrey to hear.

Just as Chloe turned her head back to Aubrey, she saw something flash out of the corner of her eye before getting hit in the face by a spoon.

Aubrey looked pleased. “Sorry, Chlo. You know me, just extremely volatile in the mornings,” Aubrey shrugged and walked away, leaving Chloe to pout while Amy busted out laughing, clutching her side.

 

Chloe felt overwhelmed. After she got to the label and met with Beca, (who completely ogled at her, pleasing Chloe to no end) she met with about ten different people about the direction of her career and where to start. Thankfully, Beca had been with her the entire day, which helped a lot. She was now sat in her office, trying to make sense of the whirlwind the last few hours were.

“So just try to post on social media as much as possible and keep playing around local bars as much as you can. Any exposure is good. Um, we’ll book studio time for this week so we can get started recording,” Beca finished.

Chloe nodded her head, starting to feel better about everything.

“I’m also gonna see when Hailee is free to do that collab we talked about. I think that’s the best way to introduce you to the music world. You guys have similar sounds I think it could end up being a hit song. That would be the best start for your career.”

Chloe beamed at the brunette, “That would be amazing, I can’t wait to meet her. It seems like her songs are on the radio all the time, you've done a really great job with her.”

“Yeah, um, she’s doing awesome right now," Beca looked down at her lap, fiddling with her hands.

"Well, I think you’re good for the day if you wanna head out. I’ll-uh, I'll see you tomorrow to talk more about your songs. We can nail down which ones we want to work on later this week in the studio,” Beca smiled and got up from her chair to see Chloe out.

“That sounds great,” Chloe smiled back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Beca.” She got up as well and moved to give the brunette a hug goodbye. Beca awkwardly hugged her back and looked down at her shoes, blushing, as Chloe walked out.

 

“Did Beca drool when saw you? Or better yet, did she jump you?” Amy was practically giddy and hadn’t stopped badgering Chloe the second she got home from her first day. They were currently all sitting on the couch in the living room area talking, like they always do at the end of each day.

“We’re just working together,” Chloe huffed. She didn’t need to be grilled by Amy all the time about her school girl crush on her new colleague.

“Is Beca gay?” Aubrey asked curiously.

“How would I know? It’s not like I asked her which sex she prefers when I met up with her this morning,” Chloe said irritably.

“Oh, she’s gay. I can tell,” Amy said smugly.

“You haven’t even met her!” Chloe threw a pillow at Amy, hitting her in the face.

“Don’t need to. C’mon, _Beca_? You don’t name your child _Beca_ expecting them to be straight.”

“That literally makes zero sense. There’s no way you can know for sure by her name,” Aubrey said amused.

“Maybe not, but a google search confirmed it,” Amy held up her phone triumphantly.

Aubrey looked back at Amy, shocked.

“Guys, this is an invasion of privacy,” Chloe said softly, toying with the loose threads on her blanket.

“I’m doing research, ginger, hush,” Amy waved her off, still glued to her phone screen.

“Find out if she’s single and what kind of relationship history she has,” Aubrey chimed in.

“AUBREY!” Chloe gaped at the blonde.

“On it, my plastic friend,” Amy said, not looking up from her phone.

“I literally hate you guys,” Chloe slumped down, knowing there was no point to try and stop them from finding out as much as they could about Beca.

Two hours and a lot of private information later, they had reached the decision that Beca seemed like a good person and even though she hasn’t had much experience in the way of relationships, she still should be a fireball in bed (Amy’s words).

 

Chloe decided to go to bed early, partly to get away from Amy and Aubrey, but also because she was exhausted. It had been amazing starting her dream job today, but a little overwhelming. She couldn’t wait until she was in the studio with Beca working on music. That’s all she wanted to do.

She still had her waitressing job, deciding she may need the money since she didn’t know if she would be successful enough as an artist to sustain herself. The advance was nice, but Chloe hoped she would be able to confidently quit her job soon and solely focus on making music.

She tossed and turned most of the night, worried about the studio session later that week. Chloe wouldn’t admit it, but she was terrified of failing and not being good enough. It was fine to fantasize about “one day” when she was playing at local bars and waitressing, but now that she was actually signed, it was hard to ignore the twist in her gut, telling her she wasn’t good enough for this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is "Heaven" by Troye Sivan. Hope you guys like this chapter:)

“Let’s get crackin’,” Beca dramatically stretched her arms out and made a little punch with her right fist in the air.

Chloe laughed and shook her head at the girl. “Such a child,” she teased.

“Says the twenty-year-old,” Beca shot right back.

“Touché,” Chloe winked.

Beca faltered, “Uh, so anyways, what songs do you have today for us to look at?” She looked down and ran her fingers through her hair.

Chloe narrowed her gaze at the brunette, a smirk playing at her lips, before pulling out her notebook and flipping to a page near the middle. “I have a couple that I think would sound the best on radio since they’re more upbeat and pop.”

Beca immediately shook her head, “Don’t worry about that, Chloe. Just pick whichever one you want to do first. Which song is your favorite?”

Chloe ran her hands along the spine of her leather journal, thinking. “Well my favorite is kind of a sad song… shouldn’t I pick one a little happier and more upbeat?” Chloe looked unsure.

“Not necessarily. The first song you record doesn’t have to be the first one released. Most of the time, the first songs recorded don’t even make it onto an album. We’re just trying to see what you’ve got,” Beca nodded encouragingly at her.

Chloe flipped back several pages to almost the very beginning of her journal before taking a deep breath, “This one is probably my best song. It’s the one I’m most proud of anyways. It’s called “Heaven.” I wrote it about four years ago. It’s just over a simple guitar melody, but I think adding some piano or drums on it would make it sound better.”

Chloe slid her journal across the desk to where Beca was sitting so she could read over the verses she had written. Beca read quietly to herself and then looked up deep in thought for several minutes. Chloe’s stomach lurched, thinking Beca hated the song. She hadn’t said anything and her face was hard to read.

“Um, if you hate it, you can tell me. I know it’s- it’s a work in progress,” Chloe fumbled awkwardly, feeling extremely vulnerable.

“No, Chloe this is really good. Like, incredibly good. I was just trying to think of a melody that would do the lyrics justice. I’m sorry, I like to soak in the songs and try to process different instruments on them,” Beca spoke softly, trying to convey how serious she was.

“Oh… thank you. What were you thinking?” Chloe perked up, eager to start going through ideas for her song.

“It needs to be pretty stripped back. The lyrics and your voice will speak for itself, but it needs more than a guitar. It definitely could use a nice drum beat and maybe even a soft electric guitar melody, we’ll play around with it in the studio,” Beca slid the notebook back to Chloe.

“I’m obviously not a producer, but the label lets me help out creatively much more than pretty much any A&R since I was an artist myself.”

Beca continued talking to Chloe about the song and what the studio session will be like and how excited she was to be a part of her first record. Chloe thought Beca was really cute when she got all excited like this. She was really in her element with all this music making talk; Chloe thought she could be a producer if she really wanted to.

 

Thursday morning, Chloe walked into Capitol excitedly, knowing today was her first studio session. She was a little nervous, knowing how personal her song is and how she’ll have to be really vulnerable throughout the process. She was just extremely thankful Beca would be with her every step of the way. Every day, Beca had walked Chloe through what they would be doing and telling her how great her songs were. Walking the familiar hallways to Beca’s office, she smiled at the thought of her.

The door was partly open so Chloe leaned her head in and knocked on the open door. “Hi Beca! Good morning,” Chloe greeted, smiling at the girl.

“Chloe! Hey, are you ready to go? This is gonna be fun,” Beca looked excited as she jumped out of her chair to greet her.

Walking up to the doors that led into the studio was surreal. Chloe had dreamt of this moment for so long and she couldn’t help but feel anxious. She was more excited than anything, but she was worried what would happen if she sucked. If the song sucked. If no one liked her voice. She knew it was stupid to think that, but once the thought popped into her head, she couldn’t stop it. She rubbed her hands together and bit down on her lip, standing behind Beca as she opened the door to go in.

Beca must have noticed something was off because when she turned around to let Chloe go in first, she immediately closed the door and pulled Chloe off to the side, away from prying eyes.

“Chloe, are you ok? You look like you’re gonna throw up.”

Beca still had her hand on Chloe’s arm from when she pulled her away from the studio doors. Her grip was tighter now though, as if she was making sure Chloe wouldn’t make a run for it.

“Yeah, no. I’m fine. Um, just a little anxious. Let’s just go in,” Chloe tried to make her voice as even and steady as she could while Beca was looking at her like that and clinging to her arm.

Beca didn’t look convinced. She took a breath, “Chloe, it’s normal to be nervous, but you don’t need to be. You’re gonna wow them in there and I’m gonna be there the whole time.”

Chloe dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling embarrassed. She was being insecure and stupid, Beca shouldn’t have to give her a pep talk before going in to do her job.

Beca squeezed her arm even tighter and ducked her head down to meet Chloe’s baby blue eyes. “I think you’re an amazing artist, let’s show them that,” Beca almost whispered, finally releasing her hold on Chloe’s arm.

Chloe didn’t say anything, partly because she didn’t trust herself to speak, but also because there was nothing to say to that. She doesn’t take compliments as well as she gives them. She just smiled softly at Beca to let her know she appreciates her and that she’s ready to go in now.

Beca seemed to get the message and turned back towards the studio, opening the door for Chloe a second time.

“Here we go, superstar,” Beca smirked.

Chloe’s eyes widened at the sight of the recording studio in front of her. It was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. It felt warm and safe and she couldn’t help but be reminded of Beca.

_This is where Beca belongs._

 

Four hours later, they had finally nailed down most of the vocals to “Heaven.” Chloe had been nervous to open herself up with a lot of people she didn’t know, but everyone had been warm and inviting. Stacie, her producer, was by far her favorite out of those she had met today. She was outgoing and charismatic. Chloe immediately liked her energy and the way she felt so easy to talk to. Stacie was beautiful and extremely smart. She also let Chloe have as much creative control as possible and took her input on everything. Her and Beca got along especially well. Maybe a little too well if she was being honest. They were best friends who flirted a lot at the very least. Chloe couldn’t help but wonder if they had a fling going on.

They were now wrapping their first session, trying to finish the chorus. Stacie and Beca disagreed on how to go about it and Chloe thought both their ideas sounded fine, but they insisted they have to agree before deciding one way or the other.

“Bec, I’m always right. The song would sound better if we brought in some bass for the chorus. It’ll sound bigger,” Stacie argued.

“Stace I’m telling you, that’s an injustice to Chloe’s voice. Layer the melody and cut her vocals a couple times to harmonize it. The song isn’t a big song because of the instruments, it’s the lyrics,” Beca was currently pacing around the room, fiddling with her reading glasses.

Honestly, Chloe wasn’t really listening anymore. They had been arguing like a married couple for probably fifteen minutes now. She was more focused on Beca.

The way Beca moved was something to be looked at. She watched the gentle sway of her hips and the way she sometimes scuffed her foot at the ground when she got frustrated. Chloe watched as Beca took her glasses off to bite at the end of the frame, obviously deep in thought.

_Oh my God._

She imagined what it would feel like if Beca was biting her own lip instead of her glasses. Rough teeth colliding against her bottom lip, pulling and tugging and-

“Chloe? Hello?”

Her head shot up at the sound of Stacie calling her name.

_Shit. How long have I been zoned out?_

“I-um. I’m sorry, what did you say?” her mouth was dry and she could feel heat rushing to her cheeks. She rested her face on her hands, hoping it wasn’t obvious she was trying to cover it up.

“I said why don’t we have you do both and then you can decide? It’s whatever you think sounds best,” Stacie said, looking at the redhead curiously.

“Yeah. Yeah, I can do that,” Chloe scratched at the back of her neck and stood up to go into the booth. She saw Stacie look mischievously between her and Beca, her lip curling up into a smirk.

_Fuck. Be a little more obvious about it, please._

Chloe prayed that Beca was oblivious, and would stay that way, to her crush. After all, it wasn’t like she actually _liked_ her. She was just attracted to her. It would go away… hopefully.

An hour later, they had all agreed that Beca’s suggestion actually fit the best. Chloe felt uncomfortable siding with her A&R over her producer, but Stacie seemed fine with it. In fact, she treated Beca like a co-producer the entire session. She could tell they really respected each other, even when they argued.

Her and Beca were now walking back to Beca’s office to talk about the session. It was amazing to Chloe how fast she had become friends with the brunette. They had only known each other for a week, but she had felt comfortable with the girl immediately.

“I think that went really well. I’m really happy with the song,” Beca smiled at her.

“Me too,” Chloe beamed back at the brunette.

They had now reached Beca’s office door and Beca pushed the door open with her elbow and motioned for Chloe to go ahead.

“What a gentleman,” Chloe said, then screwed up her face, “gentlewoman?”

Beca laughed full and hard, throwing her head back. The sound was music to Chloe’s ears and she smiled at the sight.

_She is so beautiful._

“You’re such a dork,” Beca chuckled.

“Maybe,” Chloe winked.

Beca blushed and fumbled with the end of her shirt before clearing her throat and moving to sit down in her desk chair.

“So how are you feeling after the session? How did you like everyone?” Beca seemed to regain control as she spoke evenly.

“I feel great. I obviously have no experience when it comes to stuff like this, but I thought “Heaven” sounded good and we got some stuff accomplished, so that’s good,” Chloe laughed. “I really liked Stacie, you guys seem to be really close…” Chloe faded out, raising her eyebrows. She hoped it was a subtle implication and that Beca would answer how she wanted her to.

“Stacie is practically my sister. We grew up together, it was pure luck we ended up at the same label,” Beca explained.

“Oh, I thought you two were dating or something,” Chloe blurted out.

Beca laughed and shook her head immediately, “That would be weird. Um, no. We’re definitely _not_ dating.”

“Oh ok. That’s good,” Chloe replied without thinking.

Beca looked at her questioningly.

“I mean, not _good_ , but like, you know, that’s cool or whatever,” Chloe stumbled.

_Shut the fuck up. Please._

Beca bit her lip to keep it from curling up into a smirk.


End file.
